Freud's psychoanalytic theories
is considered to be the founder of the psychodynamic approach to psychology, which looks to unconscious drives to explain human behavior. Freud believed that the mind is responsible for both conscious and unconscious decisions that it makes on the basis of psychological drives. The id, ego, and super-ego are three aspects of the mind Freud believed to comprise a person's personality. Freud believed people are "simply actors in the drama of own minds, pushed by desire, pulled by coincidence. Underneath the surface, our personalities represent the power struggle going on deep within us".
Views on religion
Freud did not believe in a supernatural force that pre-programmed humankind to behave in a certain way. His idea of the Id explains why humans act out in certain ways when it is not in line with the ego or superego: "Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires." Freud believed that humans rely on religion to give explanations for anxieties and tensions they do not want to believe in consciously. Freud argued that humanity created God in its image. This reverses the idea of religion, as he believed the mind constructs it. The role of the mind is a topic Freud repeatedly discussed, as he believed it is responsible for both conscious and unconscious decisions driven by forces and drives. The idea that religion causes individuals to behave morally is incorrect, according to Freud, because he believed no other force has the power to control how humans act. Unconscious desires motivate individuals to act accordingly.Freud conducted extensive research on how individuals act and interact in group settings. He believed that humans behave differently according to the demands and constraints of the group as a whole. In his book Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, Freud argued that the Christian Church—and, by extension, the Synagogue—and organized religion form an "artificial group" which requires an external force to keep it together. In this type of group, everything is dependent on that external force, and without it, the group would no longer exist. Groups are necessary, according to Freud, to decrease narcissism in society's members, by creating libidinal ties with others, by placing everyone at an equal level. The commonality among people with diverse egos allows humans to identify with one another. This relates to the idea of religion because Freud believed that humankind created religion to foster the group ties they unconsciously seek.
Oedipus complex
According to Freud's many theories of religion, the Oedipus complex is utilized in the understanding and mastery of religious beliefs. In Freud's psychosexual stages, he mentioned the Oedipus complex and how it affects children and their relationships with their same-sex parental figure. According to Freud, there is an unconscious desire for one's mother to be a virgin and for one's father to be an all-powerful, almighty figure. Freud's interest in Greek mythology and religion greatly influenced his psychological theories. The Oedipus complex is when a boy is jealous of his father. The boy strives to possess his mother and ultimately replace his father as a means of no longer having to fight for her undivided attention and affection. Along with seeking his mother's love, boys also experience castration anxiety which is the fear of losing their genitalia. Boys fear that their fathers will retaliate and castrate them as a result of desiring their mother. Females also experience penis envy which is the parallel reaction to the male experience of castration anxiety. Females are jealous of their fathers' penis and wish to have one as well. Girls then repress this feeling and instead long for a child of their own. This suppression leads to the girl identifying with her mother and acquiring feminine traits.Psychoanalytic theory
Psychoanalysis was founded by Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that people could be cured by making their motivations conscious. The aim of psychoanalysis therapy is to release repressed emotions and experiences, i.e., make the unconscious conscious. Psychoanalysis is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. It is only by having a cathartic experience that a person can be helped and "cured".Id
The Id, according to Freud, is the part of the unconscious that seeks pleasure. His idea of the Id explains why people act out in certain ways when it is not in line with the ego or superego. The Id is the part of the mind which holds all of humankind's most basic and primal instincts. It is the impulsive, unconscious part of the mind that is based on the desire to seek immediate satisfaction. The Id does not have a grasp on any form of reality or consequence. Freud understood that some people are controlled by the Id because it makes people engage in need-satisfying behavior without any regard for what is right or wrong. Freud compared the Id and the Ego to a horse and a rider. The Id is compared to the horse, which is directed and controlled by the Ego, the rider. This example goes to show that although the Id is supposed to be controlled by the Ego, they often interact with one another according to the drives of the Ego. The Id is made up of two biological instincts, Eros which is the drive to create, and Thanatos which is the drive to destroy.Ego
In order for people to maintain a realistic sense here on earth, the Ego is responsible for creating a balance between pleasure and pain. It is impossible for all desires of the Id to be met and the Ego realizes this but continues to seek pleasure and satisfaction. Although the Ego does not know the difference between right and wrong, it is aware that not all drives can be met at a given time. The reality principle is what the Ego operates on to help satisfy the Id’s demands while also compromising with the constraints of reality. The Ego is a person's "self" composed of unconscious desires. The Ego takes into account ethical and cultural ideals in order to balance out the desires originating in the Id. Although both the Id and the Ego are unconscious, the Ego has close contact with the perceptual system. The Ego has the function of self-preservation, which is why it has the ability to control the instinctual demands from the Id.Superego
The Superego, which develops around age four or five, incorporates the morals of society. Freud believed that the Superego is what allows the mind to control its impulses that are looked down upon morally. The Superego can be considered to be the conscience of the mind because it has the ability to distinguish between reality as well as what is right or wrong. Without the Superego, Freud believed people would act out with aggression and other immoral behaviors because the mind would have no way of understanding the difference between right and wrong. The Superego is considered to be the "consciousness" of a person's personality and can override the drives from the Id. Freud separates the Superego into two separate categories; the ideal self and the conscience. The conscience contains ideals and morals that exist within a society that prevent people from acting out based on their internal desires. The ideal self contains images of how people ought to behave according to society's ideals.The unconscious
Freud believed that the answers to what controlled daily actions resided in the unconscious mind, despite alternative views that all our behaviors were conscious. He felt that religion is an illusion based on human values that are created by the mind to overcome inner psychological conflict. He believed that notions of the unconsciousness and gaps in the consciousness can be explained by acts of which the consciousness affords no evidence. The unconscious mind positions itself in every aspect of life, whether one is dormant or awake. Though one may be unaware of the impact of the unconscious mind, it influences the actions we engage in. Human behavior may be understood by searching for an analysis of mental processes. This explanation gives significance to verbal slips and dreams. They are caused by hidden reasons in the mind displayed in concealed forms. Verbal slips of the unconscious mind are referred to as a Freudian slip. This is a term to explain a spoken mistake derived from the unconscious mind. Traumatizing information on thoughts and beliefs is blocked from the conscious mind. Slips expose our true thoughts stored in the unconscious.Sexual instincts or drives have deeply hidden roots in the unconscious mind. Instincts act by giving vitality and enthusiasm to the mind through meaning and purpose. The range of instincts is in great numbers. Freud expressed them in two categories. One is Eros, the self-preserving life instinct containing all erotic pleasures. While Eros is used for basic survival, the living instinct alone cannot explain all behavior, according to Freud. In contrast, Thanatos is the death instinct. It is full of self-destruction of sexual energy and our unconscious desire to die. The main part of human behavior and actions is tied back to sexual drives. Since birth, the existence of sexual drives can be recognized as one of the most important incentives of life.
Psychosexual stages
Freud's theory of psychosexual development is represented by five stages. According to Freud, each stage occurs within a specific time frame of one's life. If one becomes fixated in any of the five stages, he or she will develop personality traits that coincide with the specific stage and its focus.- Oral Stage – The first stage is the oral stage. An infant is in this stage from birth to eighteen months of age. The main focus in the oral stage is pleasure-seeking through the infant's mouth. During this stage, the need for tasting and sucking becomes prominent in producing pleasure. Oral stimulation is crucial during this stage; if the infant's needs are not met during this time frame he or she will be fixated in the oral stage. Fixation in this stage can lead to adult habits such as thumb-sucking, smoking, over-eating, and nail-biting. Personality traits can also develop during adulthood that is linked to oral fixation; these traits can include optimism and independence or pessimism and hostility.
- Anal Stage – The second stage is the anal stage which lasts from eighteen months to three years of age. During this stage, the infant's pleasure-seeking centers are located in the bowels and bladder. Parents stress toilet training and bowel control during this time period. Fixation in the anal stage can lead to anal-retention or anal-expulsion. Anal retentive characteristics include being overly neat, precise, and orderly while being anal expulsive involves being disorganized, messy, and destructive.
- Phallic Stage – The third stage is the phallic stage. It begins at the age of three and continues until the age of six. Now, sensitivity becomes concentrated in the genitals and masturbation becomes a new source of pleasure. The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences, which sets in motion the conflict of jealousy and fear which Freud called the Oedipus complex. Later, the Freud scholars added the Electra complex.
- Latency Stage – The fourth stage is the latency stage which begins at the age of six and continues until the age of eleven. During this stage, there is no pleasure-seeking region of the body; instead, all sexual feelings are repressed. Thus, children are able to develop social skills and find comfort through peer and family interaction.
- Genital Stage – The final stage of psychosexual development is the genital stage. This stage starts from eleven onwards, lasts through puberty, and ends when one reaches adulthood at the age of eighteen. The onset of puberty reflects a strong interest from one person to another of the opposite sex. If one does not experience fixation in any of the psychosexual stages, once he or she has reached the genital stage, he or she will grow into a well-balanced human being.